7 Ways To Stop Gossip

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen and Pastor Ron Edmondson

My email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

   As we know, gossip is a big problem in everyday life, and Christians are not exempt from it. Pastor Ron Edmondson wrote a short but good article on the subject, part of which is given below. To read the whole thing, click on this link: www.ronedmondson.com/2012/12/stopping-gossip-in-7-ways-repost.html. ) I first read part of his article on Ed Stetzer's blog spot.) Here (in red) is some of what Edmondson wrote:

Here are 7 ways to stop gossip:

• Don’t repeat something you don’t know is true firsthand…secondhand knowledge is not enough to justify repeating. You will get something wrong and it will hurt others.
• Don’t repeat unless its helpful to do so and you have a vested interest in the situation, the people involved, and permission to share…doing so in the name of a prayer request is not a good excuse…
• Don’t “confess” other people’s sins. Even if the wrong included you and you feel the need to confess, share your story, but not someone else’s.
• If you must tell, and have passed the test on the first three suggestions, tell only what happened and not your commentary or “I think this is probably what happened” or why you think it happened…
• Choose to pray for others every time you are tempted to tell their story…instead of telling their story…
• When someone tells you something you don’t need to know, don’t allow curiosity to be your guide…follow your heart. Stop the person and tell them you don’t want to know! Remember, if they will spread gossip about others they will spread it about you!
• Keep the circle of confession limited to the people involved or to no more than needed for accountability purposes. The wider the circle and the more the story is repeated the more likely things will turn into gossip.

If my tone seems intent it’s because I am. I have little patience for gossips. My desire is to see people who live in holy and healthy community together. Gossip is a betrayer of this becoming reality.